First of all I just wanted to say that after checking all the forums I can't find how to volunteer. I was also wondering that if you volunteer is it possible to get a cheaper BM ticket? I don't have a lot of money to spend on going to things like this because I am a full time student. I don't want to just buy a low income ticket because I know there are people in this world that have a lot less money than I do that could use this more than I and it weighs on my conscience. I want to be able to earn my "low income ticket" by volunteering. Is this possible? Can you send me a link or phone number or form that I can fill out? Thanks...now to my intro........

I use to raggggg on my girlfriend about festivals and especially the part about edc and electronic music...i don't completely understand it. Perhaps being the adrenaline junkie I am, I would rather be climbing Mt. Whitney, riding 30 miles both ways to the beach, jumping out of airplanes, or some other extraneous and psychotic activity. But, looks like there is a huge contradiction in my life because now I am going (and excited) to BM.

I am evan. 24. I truly listen to all styles of music. I grew up on metal and classical. Weird combo, eh? Right now I am way into circa 1990's hip hop and circa 1930's jazz. Django Reindhart, Sarah Vaughaun, Charlie Parker, Nat Turner, Mobb Deep, Bone Thugz, GZA, and Wu Tang Clan are constantly playing in my car as of now.

Electronic pisses me off; being a musician, it is a cop out to say that mixing random sounds to a beat suddenly makes you a musician. To me, musicianship takes skill and a life time of practice at mastering not only an instrument and the technique, but the theory of why things sound pleasing to the ears. I can sit at home and make electronic shit on my lap top in two seconds. Playing my harmonica, the piano or guitar takes so much more than clicking buttons of sounds that you are not actually producing with your body.

I don't hate electronic music, that's all my girlfriend would listen to, so I had to put up with it. Now, I do appreciate some electronic music, in moderation. I love all forms of art. I hate that people turn festivals into their pre adult experimentation project and can't enjoy reality with a sober mind. But, I am not saying it is completely wrong. That is why I decided to give BM a shot.

I hope to not just listen to music, but to meet people I have never met before. Like Coldplay says, "Let's Talk..."

Here's a thread with lots of information about the ticket situation as it pertains to volunteering, including links to the volunteer pages. (The short answer? Register for a ticket. It's far more reliable.)

Here's a thread with lots of information about the ticket situation as it pertains to volunteering, including links to the volunteer pages. (The short answer? Register for a ticket. It's far more reliable.)

Here's a thread with lots of information about the ticket situation as it pertains to volunteering, including links to the volunteer pages. (The short answer? Register for a ticket. It's far more reliable.)

If you don't like electronic music, make sure to avoid camping anywhere near 2 o' clock and 10 o'clock on the city map. Those are where the large sound camps tend to be . . .

I think of BM as one giant sound camp actually. But 2 and 10 are definitely where the volume is turned up ALL the way.

I'll admit to smiling while I typed my final sentence there, because it can be difficult to escape the music sometimes almost no matter where you camp.

If I were truly interested in camping quietly, I'd try the outer street near . . . 4 o'clock, or Walk-In Camping, but I don't want to advise that to a new person, and leave him all socially isolated . . .

Yeah, you're pretty much not going to get a ticket this year by volunteering. Depending on department you have to finish multiple work shifts this year for a discounted ticket next year.Any variations of this that I'm aware of, I'm not going to say a word about, because I don't want to give people false hope.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

I get it, you clearly have no understanding or appreciation of electronic music. Good for you.

In addition to the thread Savannah linked to, you can get a lot of other information about volunteering from the main/home page of the site. Ticketing info is in its own section, though the low income ticket process & applications won't happen until next month. You should also take a look at the First Timer's Guide and Survival Guides, if you haven't. Welcome to the site.

trilobyte wrote:I get it, you clearly have no understanding or appreciation of electronic music. Good for you.

In addition to the thread Savannah linked to, you can get a lot of other information about volunteering from the main/home page of the site. Ticketing info is in its own section, though the low income ticket process & applications won't happen until next month. You should also take a look at the First Timer's Guide and Survival Guides, if you haven't. Welcome to the site.

No understanding? No appreciation?

It's like the words of Dwight K. Schrute:"What's there to know? There's the NBA and WNBA. One's a sport, one's a joke. I like sports, I like jokes!"

I don't count electronic as any type of genre or music. It in fact has no musical talent whatsoever. I'll go further to say that it is just somewhat organized "noise". There's music, and there's wanna-be music! I absolutely love rusko and deadmau5! They have their places on my playlists (as well as others), but calling them something that they are not is just a stab in the heart of what true music really is.

It's my opinion. I do have appreciation, and I do have understanding. I think you are miss reading my words and taking it as that I hate electronic.

Here's a thread with lots of information about the ticket situation as it pertains to volunteering, including links to the volunteer pages. (The short answer? Register for a ticket. It's far more reliable.)

If you don't like electronic music, make sure to avoid camping anywhere near 2 o' clock and 10 o'clock on the city map. Those are where the large sound camps tend to be . . .

Thank you so much for the advice, Savannah! I think I will just go register and volunteer anyway. I don't want to be a zombie the entire time. I'm the kind of person that has to be doing SOMETHING. An idle Evan mind is a mischievous one and gets me into trouble. Not sayin thats a bad thing!

theCryptofishist wrote:Yeah, you're pretty much not going to get a ticket this year by volunteering. Depending on department you have to finish multiple work shifts this year for a discounted ticket next year.Any variations of this that I'm aware of, I'm not going to say a word about, because I don't want to give people false hope.

I just read this from Savannah's link somewhere on the burning man home page...the first time I visited the site I didn't know I wasn't on the home page, so that's where my problem was.

trilobyte wrote:I get it, you clearly have no understanding or appreciation of electronic music. Good for you.

In addition to the thread Savannah linked to, you can get a lot of other information about volunteering from the main/home page of the site. Ticketing info is in its own section, though the low income ticket process & applications won't happen until next month. You should also take a look at the First Timer's Guide and Survival Guides, if you haven't. Welcome to the site.

Oh and I just wanted to say thanks for the info! I hope I didn't come off as irritated sounding. I am just very passionate and opinionated. No hate here!

Is the RZA a "musician"? He certainly doesn't strum a banjo, but he makes some great beats, no?.

GZA is an MC from the group Wu Tang Clan. He's a hip hop MC. I know Hip Hops roots actually go way back to the civil war and stem from jazz and blues which came from mixing african slave tribal beats and american/english influenced ensemble and church hymns. A lot of slaves didn't speak english and didn't want to. Then there were those that did, and obviously there was a cultural exchange that occurred during that process.

By all means, SLAVERY IN AMERICA WAS NOT A GOOD THING and is really quite heartbreaking. But, it gave us amazing forms of music that Americans could truly call THEIR OWN. Folk, bluegrass, and country are some excellent root examples.

There are some who, as we have said, both themselves assert that it is possible for the same thing to be and not be, and say that people can judge this to be the case.....We can, however, demonstrate negatively even that this view is impossible, if our opponent will only say something; and if he says nothing, it is absurd to attempt to reason with one who will not reason about anything, in so far as he refuses to reason. For such a man, as such, is seen already to be no better than a mere plant.

It's taking all my power to button my lip right now. Y'all have fun with this one

Agreed!

Lets get wasted and go dance to EDM tell we sweat like a pig in a slaughter house.

Why don't ya stick your head in that hole and find out? ~pieholePlan for the worst, expect the best. Make the most out of it under any conditions. If you cannot do that you will never enjoy yourself. ~CrispyDave

dancing at burning man?! not to that crap... point me to the nearest ballroom.. maybe in vegas.

i wouldnt step NEAR one of those places, not only is the so-called-music amateurish droll noise but the architecture is just disgusting... i mean they are mixing neoclassical styles with Bedouin designs?!

sheeesh.. these people wouldnt know "real music" or "real art" if they were being taught how to create music by legendary musicians such as THE GZA and BONE THUGGS AND HARMONY... or being taught to paint by such masters as THOMAS KINKADE and BANKSY.

come on.

disgusting turn for the worst at burning man... and they call it an "art" event.

Love the polka. Actually heard polka from a little MV last year. Used to live in northern Minnesota and after 2 or 3 peppermint schnapps and beers, it was really fun to dance to. 'Course, that's how I dance at BM, so...

Here's a thread with lots of information about the ticket situation as it pertains to volunteering, including links to the volunteer pages. (The short answer? Register for a ticket. It's far more reliable.)

If you don't like electronic music, make sure to avoid camping anywhere near 2 o' clock and 10 o'clock on the city map. Those are where the large sound camps tend to be . . .

Thank you so much for the advice, Savannah! I think I will just go register and volunteer anyway. I don't want to be a zombie the entire time. I'm the kind of person that has to be doing SOMETHING. An idle Evan mind is a mischievous one and gets me into trouble. Not sayin thats a bad thing!

Awesome! There are lots of fun ways to volunteer. Some of them are walk-up opportunities, like Black Rock City Post Office (near the 3 o clock and 9 o'clock city plazas, orientations twice daily) and Lamplighters (edge of Center Camp, daily, 5pm); others require registration and scheduling. Be cautious of over-committing your first year. You can almost always add more shifts while you're there.

There will be little chance for your mind to be idle there, no matter what happens . . .

lemur wrote:dancing at burning man?! not to that crap... point me to the nearest ballroom.. maybe in vegas.

i wouldnt step NEAR one of those places, not only is the so-called-music amateurish droll noise but the architecture is just disgusting... i mean they are mixing neoclassical styles with Bedouin designs?!

sheeesh.. these people wouldnt know "real music" or "real art" if they were being taught how to create music by legendary musicians such as THE GZA and BONE THUGGS AND HARMONY... or being taught to paint by such masters as THOMAS KINKADE and BANKSY.

come on.

disgusting turn for the worst at burning man... and they call it an "art" event.

more like "fart"

banksy is meh. he has cool ideals, but meh meh. i liked his idea of making thousands of counterfeit worthy british pounds (they were clearly marked as fake but they looked really good and most people would think they were real) and then taking them to a high rise and dumping them off the edge to watch people scramble for them to show how corrupt the human mind is and how people will do anything for money in a panic...but, he never ended up doing it because he found out he could be sent to prison for 25 years for counterfeiting fraud.

"real music" is to me about talent AND heart. charlie parker wasn't really a hit during his time. neither was chopin or bach!!! they were only discovered years later for their genius and for the change of times of progression in the styles.

new_world_order wrote:Electronic pisses me off; being a musician, it is a cop out to say that mixing random sounds to a beat suddenly makes you a musician. To me, musicianship takes skill and a life time of practice at mastering not only an instrument and the technique, but the theory of why things sound pleasing to the ears. I can sit at home and make electronic shit on my lap top in two seconds. Playing my harmonica, the piano or guitar takes so much more than clicking buttons of sounds that you are not actually producing with your body.

It would really be cool if you would consider bringing either a cheap harmonica or guitar or both - but not your best instruments.

As much as I prefer electronic music, there is really not enough other music on the playa - and hearing a harmonica out in the deep playa is really pretty cool. You have probably read enough to know that this is nothing at all like a summer music festival, it isn't even about music, unless that is what you want. But you are the performer, so if you are good at the harmonica, it would be a really great gift to get to hear it.

I don't mind people hating electronic. My wife hates a lot of the music I listen to - because it gives her a headache. I think that this is a perfectly appropriate and fully understandable criticism, who wants a headache? It makes me want to move, it sets my mind on fire. There are a lot of basic patterns - a kick drum explicitly thumping out 4-4 time at 135 beats per minute with a bit of swing, or the celebrated amen break, that work on a subconscious level. Some people hear only these repetitive forms, and the rest of the piece just dissolves into random sounds. For me, these basic dance patterns need to be there in order to act as a sort of ignition. With them in place, the rest of the piece really starts to work on my mind. If the piece is not very good, then the beats become boring and repetitive. When the entire piece is interesting - when it works - everything is on fire. Although I greatly enjoy "regular" music, for example Monday I am seeing a concert and lecture on Thelonious Monk at the local University, none of this music provides the explosive power that I get from sequenced combinations of generated waveforms.

I find it interesting that you brought up Bach - a harpsichordist - in this thread, after saying the following about instrumental technique, "Playing my harmonica, the piano or guitar takes so much more than clicking buttons of sounds that you are not actually producing with your body."

On the harpsichord, you are basically clicking a button. There is zero dynamic control. You depress the key, and either the plectrum plucks the string or it does not. The produced sound is entirely disconnected from the motion of the body. It does matter when you lift your finger, as the legato is of prime importance. But this is the same as depressing the left mouse button and letting go!

I do believe that connecting the motion of the body to the dynamic of the produced note allows for a degree of improvisation and expression that is lost when notes are sequenced or played with an instrument that does not accept nuance. However, removing one degree of freedom does not remove all capacity for expression and technique. I could play Bach's fugues through a computer, and Bach's genius and humanity would shine through the sequence of the notes.

Skrillex and Deadmau5 are not representative of electronic music as a whole. Their live play style should not be taken as an indication that electronic artists cannot play real instruments. One can learn to barf out boring techno in a month with ACID Pro 7, but a set of four teenagers can learn to form a crappy garage band by spending six months with their instruments. Six months or one month is really immaterial, I agree that to make great music typically takes years of work - an order of magnitude more time than required for proficiency with this or that instrument.

I therefore consider your criticism to be unfair, and far more objectionable than someone simply hating electronic dance music. It is one thing to say that it is bangy and repetitive, it is another to make a broad declaration about what is or is not art and representative of the human spirit.